Ecclesiastical provinces and dioceses of the Episcopal Church explained
The Episcopal Church (TEC) is governed by a General Convention and consists of 96 dioceses in the United States proper, plus ten dioceses in other countries or outlying U.S. territories, the diocese of Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, and a diocese for Armed Services and Federal Ministries, for a total of 108 dioceses.
A diocese, which is led by a bishop, includes all the parishes and missions within its borders, which usually correspond to a state or a portion of a state. Some dioceses includes portions of more than one state. For example, the Diocese of Washington includes the District of Columbia and part of Maryland.
Overview
The naming convention for the domestic dioceses, for the most part, is after the state in which they are located or a portion of that state (for example, Northern Michigan or West Texas).
Usually (though not always), in a state where there is more than one diocese, the area where the Episcopal Church (or Church of England before the American Revolution) started in that state is the diocese that bears the name of that state. For example, the Church of England's first outpost in what is now Georgia was in Savannah, hence the Diocese of Georgia is based in Savannah.
There are, however, many dioceses named for their see city or another city in the diocese. A few are named for a river, island, valley or other geographical feature. The list below includes the see city in parentheses if different from the name of the diocese or unclear from its name.
The see city usually has a cathedral, often the oldest parish in that city, but some dioceses do not have a cathedral. The dioceses of Iowa and Minnesota each have two cathedrals. Occasionally the diocesan offices and the cathedral are in separate cities.
Provinces
The dioceses are grouped into nine provinces, the first eight of which, for the most part, correspond to regions of the U.S. Province IX is composed of dioceses in Latin America. Province II and Province VIII also include dioceses outside of the U.S.
Unlike in many churches of the Anglican Communion, in which provinces are helmed by a primate or presiding bishop from the clergy, provinces of TEC are led by lay executive directors or presidents. Decisions are made at each province's Synod of the Province, consisting of a House of Bishops and House of Deputies. Lay and clergy Deputies are elected, two from each diocese.
Provinces of TEC are not to be confused with provinces of the Anglican Communion, as TEC itself is one such province of the Communion.
List of provinces and their dioceses
| Province | Name | Diocese | See city | Founded | Parishes and missions (2023)[1] | Active baptized members (2023)[2] | Average worship attendance (2023) | class=unsortable | Diocese Map |
|---|
| Province I | Province of New England | Diocese of Connecticut | Hartford | 1785 | 152 | 36,763 | 8,211 | |
| Diocese of Maine | Portland, ME | 1820 | 57 | 8,400 | 2,695 | |
| Diocese of Massachusetts | Boston | 1784 | 162 | 42,510 | 9,745 | |
| Diocese of New Hampshire | Concord | 1832 | 41 | 9,279 | 2,384 | |
| Diocese of Rhode Island | Providence | 1790 | 52 | 12,781 | 3,241 | |
| Diocese of Vermont | Burlington | 1832 | 45 | 4,045 | 1,487 | |
| Diocese of Western Massachusetts | Springfield, MA | 1901 | 50 | 10,844 | 2,605 | |
| Province II | The International Atlantic Province or | Diocese of Albany | Albany | 1868 | 102 | 9,121 | 3,283 | |
| Diocese of Central New York | Syracuse | 1868 | 78 | 8,534 | 2,428 | |
| Paris | 1859 | 20 | 2,435 | 673 | |
| Diocese of Cuba | Havana | 1901 | 44 | 1,931 | 992 | |
| Diocese of Haiti | Port-au-Prince | 1861 | 120 | 98,403 | 10,828 | |
| Diocese of Long Island | Garden City | 1868 | 126 | 36,349 | 8,148 | | |
| Diocese of New Jersey | Trenton | 1785 | 136 | 30,423 | 7,497 | |
| Diocese of New York | New York City | 1787 | 191 | 41,888 | 9,866 | |
| Diocese of Newark | Newark | 1874 | 93 | 18,245 | 4,325 | |
| Diocese of Puerto Rico | San Juan | 1920 | 56 | 3,199 | 1,693 | |
| Diocese of Rochester | Rochester | 1931 | 48 | 6,529 | 2,186 | |
| Diocese of the Virgin Islands | Charlotte Amalie | 1985 | 13 | 1,628 | 915 | |
| Diocese of Western New York | Buffalo | 1839 | 56 | 6,014 | 1,684 | |
| Province III | Province of Washington | Diocese of Bethlehem | Bethlehem | 1871 | 56 | 7,080 | 2,061 | |
| Diocese of Central Pennsylvania | Harrisburg | 1904 | 61 | 8,322 | 2,732 | |
| Diocese of Delaware | Wilmington | 1785 | 32 | 6,913 | 2,422 | |
| Diocese of Easton | Easton | 1888 | 38 | 6,858 | 1,799 | |
| Diocese of Maryland | Baltimore | 1780 | 100 | 25,905 | 6,079 | |
| Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania | Erie | 1910 | 32 | 2,677 | 981 | |
| Diocese of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | 1784 | 133 | 32,225 | 8,222 | |
| Diocese of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh | 1865 | 33 | 8,538 | 1,746 | |
| Diocese of Southern Virginia | Newport News | 1892 | 100 | 19,534 | 6,071 | |
| Diocese of Southwestern Virginia | Roanoke | 1919 | 50 | 8,338 | 2,686 | |
| Diocese of Virginia | Richmond (offices)
Orkney Springs (cathedral shrine) | 1785 | 179 | 61,591 | 15,229 | |
| Diocese of Washington | Washington, D.C. | 1895 | 85 | 30,741 | 8,483 | |
| Diocese of West Virginia | Charleston, WV | 1877 | 60 | 5,377 | 1,772 | |
| Province IV | Province of Sewanee | Diocese of Alabama | Birmingham | 1844 | 88 | 29,180 | 7,217 | |
| Diocese of Atlanta | Atlanta | 1907 | 91 | 43,211 | 9,814 | |
| Diocese of Central Florida | Orlando | 1969 | 82 | 22,131 | 8,918 | |
| Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast | Pensacola (offices)
Mobile (cathedral) | 1970 | 61 | 16,803 | 4,180 | |
| Diocese of East Carolina | Kinston | 1863 | 67 | 14,133 | 4,432 | |
| Diocese of East Tennessee | Knoxville | 1985 | 46 | 12,969 | 3,997 | |
| Diocese of Florida | Jacksonville | 1838 | 66 | 22,884 | 5,946 | |
| Diocese of Georgia | Savannah | 1823 | 67 | 12,038 | 4,105 | |
| Diocese of Kentucky | Louisville | 1832 | 32 | 6,409 | 2,018 | |
| Diocese of Lexington | Lexington | 1896 | 34 | 6,186 | 2,043 | |
| Diocese of Louisiana | New Orleans | 1838 | 47 | 13,660 | 3,207 | |
| Diocese of Mississippi | Jackson, MS | 1850 | 80 | 16,981 | 4,591 | |
| Diocese of North Carolina | Raleigh | 1823 | 106 | 41,835 | 9,708 | |
| Diocese of South Carolina | Charleston, SC | 1785 | 31 | 7,995 | 2,352 | |
| Diocese of Southeast Florida | Miami | 1969 | 74 | 25,810 | 7,401 | |
| Parrish (offices)
St. Petersburg (cathedral) | 1969 | 78 | 24,046 | 8,280 | |
| Diocese of Tennessee | Nashville | 1834 | 45 | 15,460 | 4,410 | |
| Diocese of Upper South Carolina | Columbia | 1922 | 59 | 21,422 | 5,098 | |
| Diocese of West Tennessee | Memphis | 1985 | 29 | 6,163 | 2,073 | |
| Diocese of Western North Carolina | Asheville | 1922 | 60 | 13,152 | 4,788 | |
| Province V | Province of the Midwest | Diocese of Chicago | Chicago | 1823 | 120 | 25,645 | 7,184 | |
| Diocese of the Great Lakes | Saginaw
| 2024 | 97 | 9,802 | 3,578 | |
| Diocese of Indianapolis | Indianapolis | 1849 | 48 | 7,711 | 2,893 | |
| Diocese of Michigan | Detroit | 1832 | 70 | 13,311 | 4,003 | |
| Diocese of Missouri | St. Louis | 1841 | 39 | 8,745 | 2,443 | |
| Diocese of Northern Indiana | South Bend | 1888 | 31 | 2,963 | 1,191 | |
| Diocese of Northern Michigan | Marquette | 1895 | 21 | 975 | 315 | |
| Diocese of Ohio | Cleveland | 1818 | 80 | 13,921 | 3,867 | |
| Diocese of Southern Ohio | Cincinnati | 1875 | 71 | 14,818 | 4,367 | |
| Diocese of Springfield | Springfield, IL | 1877 | 33 | 3,098 | 1,118 | |
| Diocese of Wisconsin | Eau Claire, Fond Du Lac, Milwaukee | 1835 | 99 | 10,535 | 4,008 | |
| Province VI | Province of the Northwest | Diocese of Colorado | Denver | 1875 | 93 | 19,887 | 6,785 | |
| Diocese of Iowa | Des Moines (offices, one cathedral)
Davenport (cathedral) | 1854 | 58 | 4,713 | 1,611 | |
| Minneapolis (offices, one cathedral)
Faribault (cathedral) | 1859 | 89 | 14,656 | 3,940 | |
| Diocese of Montana | Helena | 1904 | 32 | 3,367 | 1,011 | |
| Diocese of Nebraska | Omaha | 1865 | 50 | 5,867 | 1,791 | |
| Diocese of North Dakota | Fargo | 1883 | 19 | 2,148 | 464 | |
| Diocese of South Dakota | Sioux Falls | 1971 | 77 | 6,301 | 1,534 | |
| Diocese of Wyoming | Casper (offices)
Laramie (cathedral) | 1909 | 45 | 5,670 | 1,400 | |
| Province VII | Province of the Southwest | Diocese of Arkansas | Little Rock | 1869 | 55 | 12,956 | 3,394 | |
| Diocese of Dallas | Dallas | 1895 | 61 | 27,214 | 8,205 | | |
| Diocese of Kansas | Topeka | 1864 | 44 | 6,826 | 2,229 | |
| Diocese of Northwest Texas | Lubbock | 1958 | 25 | 4,788 | 1,344 | |
| Diocese of Oklahoma | Oklahoma City | 1937 | 64 | 13,576 | 4,282 | |
| Diocese of the Rio Grande | Albuquerque | 1881 | 48 | 9,764 | 2,656 | |
| Diocese of Texas | Houston | 1849 | 165 | 72,268 | 18,141 | |
| Diocese of West Missouri | Kansas City, MO | 1890 | 47 | 8,624 | 2,386 | |
| Diocese of West Texas | San Antonio | 1874 | 86 | 19,251 | 6,636 | |
| Diocese of Western Kansas | Salina | 1971 | 21 | 1,173 | 413 | |
| Diocese of Western Louisiana | Pineville (offices)
Shreveport (cathedral) | 1979 | 42 | 7,744 | 2,175 | |
| Province VIII | Province of the Pacific | Diocese of Alaska | Fairbanks | 1971 | 46 | 4,794 | 727 | |
| Diocese of Arizona | Phoenix | 1959 | 58 | 17,175 | 5,195 | |
| Diocese of California | San Francisco | 1857 | 74 | 17,175 | 4,492 | |
| Diocese of Eastern Oregon | The Dalles | 1970 | 20 | 1,675 | 638 | |
| Diocese of El Camino Real | Salinas (offices)
San Jose (cathedral) | 1980 | 40 | 5,760 | 2,197 | |
| Diocese of Hawaii | Honolulu | 1966 | 37 | 6,019 | 2,157 | |
| Diocese of Idaho | Boise | 1867 | 27 | 3,297 | 1,186 | |
| Diocese of Los Angeles | Los Angeles
(diocesan seat in Echo Park neighborhood; pro-cathedral in downtown L.A.) | 1895 | 128 | 39,677 | 8,459 | |
| Missionary Diocese of Navajoland | Farmington | 1978 | 10 | 800 | 143 | |
| Diocese of Nevada | Las Vegas | 1903 | 29 | 3,983 | 1,784 | |
| Diocese of Northern California | Sacramento | 1910 | 63 | 9,727 | 3,237 | |
| Diocese of Olympia | Seattle | 1910 | 90 | 18,356 | 6,148 | |
| Diocese of Oregon | Portland, OR | 1854 | 67 | 11,600 | 3,713 | |
| Diocese of San Diego | San Diego | 1973 | 41 | 9,781 | 3,509 | |
| Diocese of San Joaquin | Fresno | 1961 | 19 | 1,958 | 633 | |
| Diocese of Spokane | Spokane | 1892 | 33 | 3,385 | 1,259 | |
| Diocese of Taiwan | Taipei | 1954 | 15 | 1,216 | 672 | |
| Diocese of Utah | Salt Lake City | 1867 | 22 | 3,966 | 1,122 | |
| Province IX | Province of Latin America | Diocese of Colombia | Bogotá | 1964 | 32 | 2,390 | 1,832 | |
| Diocese of the Dominican Republic | Santo Domingo | 1960 | 65 | 4,357 | 1,820 | |
| Diocese of Central Ecuador | Quito | 1970 | 11 | 676 | 374 | |
| Diocese of Litoral Ecuador | Guayaquil | 1988 | 26 | 7,825 | 874 | |
| Diocese of Honduras | San Pedro Sula | 1978 | 110 | 27,789 | 3,398 | |
| Diocese of Venezuela | Caracas | 1972 | 17 | 925 | 295 | | |
Former provinces and dioceses
- Diocese of Central America, now part of the Anglican Communion
- Diocese of Duluth (1907–1944, reunited with Diocese of Minnesota)
- Eastern Diocese (1811–1843, split into the dioceses of Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island)
- Diocese of Eastern Michigan (1994-2024, juncture to form the Diocese of the Great Lakes)
- Diocese of Eau Claire (1929–2024, reunited with Diocese of Wisconsin)
- Diocese of Fond du Lac (1875–2024, reunited with Diocese of Wisconsin)
- Episcopal Church in North Texas (1983-2022, reunited with Diocese of Texas)
- Diocese of Mexico (1973–1985, now part of the Anglican Communion)
- Diocese of the Philippines (1990, now autonomous province)
- Diocese of Quincy (1877–2013, merged with the diocese of Chicago following a schism)
- Diocese of South Florida (1922–1969, divided into dioceses of Central Florida, Southwest Florida, and Southeast Florida)
- Diocese of Western Colorado (1892–1898, 1907–1919, merged into Diocese of Colorado)
- Diocese of Western Michigan (1874-2024, juncture to form the Diocese of the Great Lakes)
- Missionary District of Western Nebraska (1889–1943, merged into diocese of Nebraska)
- Missionary District of Eastern Oklahoma (1911–1918, merged into diocese of Oklahoma)
Military diocese
Dioceses no longer in existence
- Duluth reunited with Minnesota in 1943.
- Eastern Diocese comprised all of New England except Connecticut. By 1843, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island had their own dioceses and the Eastern Diocese became Massachusetts[3]
- Analogously, the Episcopal Diocese of Illinois formerly comprised all of Illinois. In 1877, the diocese was divided into three parts, with the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago assuming the legal succession of the former statewide diocese, and the Episcopal Diocese of Springfield and the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy becoming independent. Quincy reunited with Chicago in 2013.[4]
- South Florida see Central Florida, Southeast Florida and Southwest Florida
- The Platte, renamed Laramie, Kearney, and Western Nebraska. In 1943 recombined with Nebraska
- Western Colorado reunited with Colorado in 1919.
- Episcopal Church in North Texas reunited with Episcopal Diocese of Texas in 2022.
- Episcopal Church in Micronesia united with Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii in 2024.
Formerly missionary districts
The following were founded as missionary districts of the Episcopal Church but are now full, independent Provinces of the Anglican Communion.
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Table of Statistics of the Episcopal Church . Parochial Report Results from 2023 . The Episcopal Church . 10 November 2024.
- Web site: Statistical Totals for the Episcopal Church by Province and Diocese: 2022-2023 . Parochial Report Results from 2023 . The Episcopal Church . 10 November 2024.
- The Episcopal Church Annual, 2004, Harrisburg: Morehouse Publishing, p. 246
- Web site: Chicago, Quincy Dioceses To Reunite on September 1. Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. 23 November 2013.
